Tacos, quesadillas, burritos, let’s make Mexican nights a little spicier! This month, we’re giving traditional empanadas a makeover and watching the food budget at the same time.

Since we’re all about utilizing various chicken cuts to make the most of your budget, let’s get creative and use virtually any cut of chicken in your empanada filling - that’s right, you can use leftover chicken, a more budget-friendly dark meat, go all-in on white meat, or make use of precooked frozen cuts - the sky's the limit. We’ve simplified traditional empanadas by cutting out the need to make dough from scratch - simply use store bought pie crust to get this snack or meal on the table fast.

Oh, and we’re hoping you haven’t given up on your new year’s resolutions yet, because we’ve also ditched the deep-fryer to bring you a healthy baked version of this classic comfort food - but if you do decide to deep fry, we won’t tell anyone.

Fajita Empanadas

1 package refrigerated pie crust
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 green bell pepper
1 medium white onion
1 10 ounce can rotel tomatoes and chilis, drained
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup shredded colby jack or mexican style cheese
1 diced jalapeno (optional)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375F. Set aside.

Whisk egg and water in a small bowl to make an egg wash and set aside.

Roughly chop peppers and onions and add to a warm skillet with olive oil. Cook for about 10 minutes until softened. Add tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt/pepper, and jalapeno (if desired) and cook until spice aromatics have released (about 2-3 min). Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Set aside.

Roll out the pie crust on a clean surface or cutting board, and using a round glass or biscuit cutter, cut circles into pie dough. Reshape excess dough, roll out, and repeat until all your dough has been cut out.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the dough circles. Gently fold into a crescent shape and seal the edges using a fork.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Once all of the empanadas have been assembled, gently brush with the egg wash.

Bake for 15-20 min or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove and serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole for dipping.